Plastic suitcase sections having embedded-hinge and meeting-edge gasket



June 6, 1950 A. L. LONG PLASTIC SUITCASE SECTIONS HAVING EMBEDDED HINGEAND MEETING EDGE GASKET Filed Feb. 1, 1946 INVENTOR. Hal/" an A. LongHTTORA EY Patented June 6, 1950 PLASTIC SUITCASE SECTIONS HAVING EM-BEDDED HINGE AND MEETING EDGE GASKET Adrian L. Long, Spokane, Wash.Application February 1, 1946, Serial No. 644,855

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a plastic suit case, it being understood thatwhile it is shown and described as a suit case it may be of anydimensions desired and used for carrying articles other than clothing.

An object of the invention is to provide a suit case having sectionshinged to each other for opening and closing movement and provided alongmeeting edges of their walls with a packed joint to prevent gaps betweenthe sections when closed, and the sections having bottom walls formedwith upwardly offset portions carrying hinges for connecting thesections, the offset portions forming a recess along the bottom of" thesuit case when closed and permitting it to be set upon the floor withoutthe hinges becoming bent by contact with the floor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitcase which is ofsimple construction and may be manufactured at small cost.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the improved suit case.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken transversely through the suitcase alongline 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view upon an enlarged scale taken transverselythrough the bottom of the suit case.

This suit case is formed of plastic which is of light weight and of suchnature that it is strong and not liable to crack or become broken if thesuit case is dropped or otherwise roughly handled.

The two sections l and 2 forming the suit case are of equal length andwidth but the section 2 is of less depth than section I as section Iforms the body of the suit case and section 2 forms a cover or closurefor the same. It will be understood that the section 2 may be of thesame depth as section I if so desired. Each section is moulded as asingle unit and has a side wall 3, end walls 4, and top and bottom walls5 and 6. Outstanding ribs I extend along the side walls with their endportions extending partially across the end walls 4 and serve veryefiectively to reinforce the walls and prevent cracking along edgesbetween the side walls and the end walls.

In order to connect the two sections I and 2 and allow opening andclosing movement there has been provided hinges 8 which have theirleaves 9 embedded in adjoining edge portions of the lower walls 6. Theears or sleeves ll] of the hinges project downwardly and edges ll of thebottom walls are spaced from the hinge ears so that the section 2 may beswung to the opened position without interference by the hinged ears.Attention is called to the fact that the portions l2 of the bottom wallsare upwardly ofiset and inwardly thickened so that ample material willbe provided to receive the hinge leaves and also provide the suit casewith a recess 13 along its bottom and prevent contact oi the hinge earsor sleeves with a floor or other surface when the suit case is setthereon. Therefore the sleeves of the hinges will not be bent and theportions of the bottom walls in which the hinges are embedded will notbe subjected to blows which would be liable to crack them and cause thehinges to be broken loose.

Inwardly extending ribs M which are arcuate in cross section are formedalong meeting edges of the walls of the two sections 1 and 2 and providechannels to receive a strip of packing I5. This packing strip or gasketis secured in one channel by glue so that it will be firmly held inplace and is of such diameter that it projects from the channel asufficient distance to fill the other channel when the suit case isclosed. A tight joint will thus be formed between the closed sections ofthe suit case. Locks I9 of a conventional formation are provided to holdthe sections i and 2 closed and in order that the suit case may beconveniently carried there has been provided the usual handle I! carriedby section l.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A suit case comprising companion side sections, each side section beingformed of plastic and being open at its inner side and having an outerside wall and end walls and top and bottom walls integral with the sidewall and each other, the bottom walls of said sections having upwardlyoffset portions of less width than the remaining portions of the bottomwalls and extending their full length and disposed in abutting edge toedge engagement with each other when the suit case is closed, hingesextending transverseiy of the bottom walls and embedded in the ofisetportions thereof and hingedly connecting said sections for movement toopened and closed positions, abutting marginal portions of said top,bottom, and end walls of each section being inwardly thickened andformed with registering channels, and a packing mounted in the channelof one section and fitting into the channel of the other section to forma tight joint when the sections are in closed position.

ADRIAN L. LONG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 61,157 Cantel -l Jan. 15, 1867455,612 Farmer July 7, 1891 1,681,032 Fuller Aug. 14, 1928 2,158,641Stenberg May 16, 1939 2,357,037 Wheary Aug. 29, 1944 2,377,717 ReillyJune 5, 1945 2,429,962 Reilly Oct. 28, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 493,031 Great Britain Sept. 30,1938

